Dave and Jan’s daughter-in-law, Meagan, expressed interest some time back in going together to some of the sights to be enjoyed in the Cedar City area (where she, Stephen, and their two children have lived for around a year and a half now). One sight which she indicated she would be interested in seeing was Snow Canyon, not far from St. George. Snow Canyon, for anyone who is wondering, is not named for its snow, but it is named after one of Utah’s early settlers by the name of Snow. So May 6th seemed like a good date to head for Snow Canyon – though it happened to be the day St. George was hosting a major race event which altered traffic routes for much of the city. So when the family had traveled the circuitous route to get to the north entrance of the State Park, the entrance was blocked to provide safety for cyclists who were participating in the day’s events. Fortunately, there was a small parking area along the highway past the park entrance which provided access to a trail to the White Rocks area of the park.

Wild flowers along the route added beauty and interest to the trail – as wild flowers always do!

And Ryan stopped for a short time on geological evidence of past volcanic activity in the area – contrasting with the white rocks.

A sandy wash provided a suitable environment for a lunch break where lunch spots were in short supply.

The white rock formations which were the trail’s destination provided a good climb and good views of other canyon features.

When the day’s race activities were coming to an end, access to the main park opened up for an interesting walk at Jenny’s Canyon.

The slot canyon portion of Jenney’s Canyon provided lots of interesting geology of special interest to Ryan and Erin.

Snow Canyon is filled with interesting geological features and various colors which provide, for Dave and Jan, clear evidence of the Lord’s ingenuity in reforming the earth with the waters of the flood of Noah’s day.

Genesis 7:10-12 (NASB)
¹⁰  It came about after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth.
¹¹  In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened.
¹²  The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

Snow Canyon is a beautiful example of the Lord’s ability to create amazing beauty even in an act of divine judgment!

Dave and Jan have looked forward to the return of weather warm enough to permit them to resume camping outings – and the time finally arrived the last week of April. Studying a brochure on state parks in northeastern Nevada, they decided to try an outing at Echo Canyon State Park – twelve miles east of the former silver-mining town of Pioche. When they arrived near the park and were met by a bright red sign which said “CLOSED,” they decided to drive on anyhow to see what they could of the park. Driving through the park they saw plenty of evidence of recent flooding. Driving back through the park they stopped along the road near one of the park’s campgrounds so they could walk through and see what they might have enjoyed – learning in the process that the campground was being used by quite a few campers. So they picked a site and set up camp, and were glad that they did.

Dave enjoyed an afternoon bike ride around the lake at the park on the road which topped the dam which backed up the reservoir, then up a very sandy trail in a juniper forest. After dinner, he and Jan walked the road with its nice view of the somewhat muddy lake.

The next day (Friday) it was time to explore the Ash Canyon Trail, beginning at the trailhead at the upper part of the campground. It turned out to be quite a pleasant surprise.

Topping the hill above the campground, Ash Canyon began to come into view – turning into a rocky wonderland!

The trail dropped, precipitously in places, deeper and deeper into the canyon with its many interesting rock formations.

There were some canyon depths to which the trail never dropped – continuing along rock walls at higher elevations.

After a mile or two the trail descended onto the valley floor of Echo Canyon where the river had recently overflowed the road.

Echo Canyon apparently earned its name because of rocky canyon walls which bounce sounds back to their source.

Walking along the road through the canyon returned the hikers back to their campground where water sports are available at the lake.

While Dave and Jan find plenty of activities to fill their time with productive and enjoyable activities – caring for grandchildren, doing yard work, church activities, and some assistance with books at Stephen’s restaurant – they are very happy for opportunities to explore the ever-growing list of interesting places within a short drive from town in the “color country” of Southwest Utah.